The extension was also used by PBS officials and census takers for quality reviews, to check if all households and people were properly counted in each area.

The results of censuses in Pakistan are used for resource allocation, sampling frames, constituency delimitation, apportionment, and for policy planning in the future.

They cited studies conducted by intergovernmental organizations such as UNICEF,[19] national identity card statistics,[22][21] and voter rolls[20][21] to support their claim, as well as taking note of the issue that no post-enumeration survey was held after the 2017 census.

[4] Then, in early November a further postponement of three months occurred, as fieldwork was set to begin 1 February 2023 and to end 4 March 2023.

The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) deployed its technology to ensure accuracy, accountability, and transparency and inaugurated the software that would later be used for the census.

[32][33][34] The pilot census completed on 3 August, and NADRA was directed to prepare a detailed summary to present to the Federal Minister of Planning and Development.

The Planning and Development Minister of Pakistan Asad Umar has stated that the military will take charge of security but will not partake in data collection.

The number of religious identifications Pakistanis could go by in the 2017 census was six (Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Ahmadiyya, Scheduled Castes, and Other),[38] but this has increased to eight as of 2023 with the addition of the Sikh and Parsi categories.

[39] The change also had been mandated by a Pakistani chief justice ruling in October 2018 that in the next census, a separate category for Sikhs would be provided under the religion question.

Whereas in 2017, only ten categories were listed (Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, Kashmiri, Saraiki, Hindko, Brahui, and Other), the form for the 2023 census has 14 choices.

[42] Shina, Balti, Kalasha and Kohistani are recognized in the 2023 form as valid options to select in the language question.

[49] As of 12 May 2023, a total of 238,659,411 people had been counted (a number that includes Islamabad Capital Territory, but excludes Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir).

[56] The question asking for respondents mother tongue also saw its number of categories increase including Shina, Balti, Kalasha, Kohistani and Mewati.